But lo and behold when we finally got to read the actual interview (which is billed as “Exclusive” despite Mr Doncaster having given interviews to the world and his dog yesterday…), we see that Mr Doncaster’s actual words were somewhat different.

In response to a series of possibly leading questions from Keith Jackson, Doncaster says that a 16-team league would solve some problems and create others, but that any change is for the clubs to decide. And in any case:

“I don’t see any change to the league structure for next season”

“You would need unanimity from all 42 clubs if you were looking for change in time for next season. Realistically, I don’t see that unanimity happening in time for next season. After next season we go back to the old voting rules and you might see more of a debate and more meaningful change”

So it looks like the Record may have been blustering in order to make an ‘interesting’ headline. Hmmm…

The other thing that caught my eye about the interview was Neil Doncaster’s glowing comments about our game. It’s almost becoming a habit Neil!

“What we have is something wonderful and beautiful. The game in Scotland is a phenomenon – it’s absolutely central to Scottish society – so let’s cherish it, look after it and be more appreciative of what we’ve got”

“If you talk to people outside this country, there is a massive respect for Scottish football. I travel a lot in Europe, I meet other leagues and they have nothing but praise for the tradition, excitement and passion of our game. It’s perhaps not as respected inside Scotland as it elsewhere”.

“Hello, this is the Positivity Helpline. How can I enthuse you today?”

Blimey Neil! If this is the case, then why – as I pointed out yesterday – is such positivity so rare from our administrators?

Perhaps Mr Doncaster should have his own words pinned up on the office wall as a motivational tool?

#KeepOnClumping

[Oh – and if you have an insatiable hunger for further Clumpany tidings, you can “follow” the blog by registering your email address. The “Follow” tab is at the bottom right-hand side of my screen. Hopefully it is also there for you!]